Senior Software Engineer, Data

Checkr; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 218,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Equity compensation

Life/Disability insurance

Flexible PTO

Learning and development allowance

Fertility/parental planning support

Commuter stipend

Job summary

Checkr is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join the People Data Platform team. You will design, build, and ship core services and data pipelines for a centralized data platform that powers fair, safe hiring decisions.

You’ll work with engineering, product, and data teams across Workforce, Tenant, Trust, and Personal, delivering high-impact features and operating at scale. Expect on-call duties and a culture of code quality and mentorship.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software engineering experience, preferably with data
• Strong proficiency in Python and SQL
• Experience with ETL/ELT and data processing at scale
• Cloud data workloads with AWS (S3, EMR, Glue, Athena, EKS, Lambda)
• Comfort with AI tools day-to-day and building lightweight AI tools
• Knowledge of relational and NoSQL databases (MongoDB)
• Strong problem-solving and detail orientation

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and ship core services and data pipelines for Checkr's centralized data platform
• Collaborate with customers and stakeholders to resolve ambiguities and ship features
• Partner with cross-functional teams to translate problems into shipped solutions
• Maintain an experimentation mindset to validate needs and MVPs
• Deliver high-quality, secure code with testing as a default
• Participate in on-call, monitor, triage, and resolve production issues
• Mentor engineers and raise the bar through design and code reviews

Skills

Python

SQL

ETL/ELT

AWS

AI tools

NoSQL

Problem solving

Tools

MongoDB

Job description

About Checkr
Checkr is building the data platform to power safe and fair decisions. Over 140,000 companies and millions of people rely on Checkr for AI verification in the moments that matter most: getting a new job, a new place to live, a car ride, childcare, even a date. Customers include Uber, Pennymac, Airbnb, Doordash, and Anthropic.
We're a team that thrives on solving complex problems with innovative solutions that advance our mission. Checkr is recognized on Forbes Cloud 100 2025 List and is a Y Combinator 2024 Breakthrough Company .

We're seeking an experienced Senior Software Engineer to join our People Data Platform team. This team plays a crucial role in our mission by building and maintaining scalable data platforms that support fair, safe hiring decisions.

As a Senior Software Engineer on the Data Platform team, you'll work on Checkr's centralized data platform, critical for the company's vision. The centralized data platform is the heart of all key customer-facing products. You will work on high-impact projects that directly contribute to the next generation of products.

You'll lead the execution of core services and data pipelines, delivering reliable, high-quality solutions that keep the platform fast and accurate as our product surface grows. You'll partner closely with engineering, product, and data teams across Workforce, Tenant, Trust, and Personal, directly enabling the fair and safe hiring decisions at the heart of Checkr's growth.

What you’ll do:

• Design, build, and ship core services and data pipelines for Checkr's centralized data platform
• Bring a customer-centric, product-oriented mindset to the table by collaborating with customers and internal stakeholders to resolve product ambiguities and ship impactful features
• Partner with engineering, product, and data teams across Workforce, Tenant, Trust, and Personal to turn ambiguous problems into shipped features
• Experimentation mindset: autonomy and empowerment to validate a customer need, get team buy-in, and ship a rapid MVP
• Deliver performant, reliable, and secure code, with quality and testing as a default rather than a phase
• Participate in on-call; monitor, triage, and resolve production issues for services the team owns
• Mentor engineers and raise the bar through design and code review

What you bring:

• 5+ years of development experience in the field of software engineering, preferably working with data
• Strong proficiency in Python or similar languages, and strong SQL skills
• Experience with ETL/ELT, and stream and batch processing of data at scale
• Experience running data processing workloads in the cloud at scale; AWS expertise (S3, EMR, Glue, Athena, EKS, Lambda) preferred
• Comfort working with AI tools day-to-day, and the ability to build simple AI-powered tools or workflows that boost team or org productivity
• Good understanding of database systems and data modeling, across both relational (SQL) and NoSQL databases (such as MongoDB)
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail

Nice to have:

• Experience with big data technologies such as PySpark, Kafka, Spark, Iceberg, and Datalake architectures
• Experience with real-time, low-latency data processing
• Experience/knowledge of data processing platforms such as Databricks or Snowflake.
• An understanding of Graph and Vector data stores

Pay Transparency Disclosure

We use geographic cost of labor as an input to develop ranges for our roles and as such, each location where we hire may have a different range. If this role is remote, we have listed the top to the bottom of the possible range, but we will specify the target range for an exact location when you are selected for a recruiting discussion. For more information on our compensation philosophy, see our website.

On-target Earnings OR Base Salary range (San Francisco, CA)

$185,000 - $218,000 USD

On-target Earnings OR Base Salary range (Denver, CO)

$157,000 - $185,000 USD

What We Offer

• A fast-paced and collaborative environment
• Learning and development allowance
• Competitive cash and equity compensation, and opportunity for advancement
• 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Up to $25K reimbursement for fertility, adoption, and parental planning services
• Flexible PTO policy
• Monthly wellness stipend

At Checkr, we believe an in office work environment strengthens collaboration, drives innovation, and encourages connection. Our hub locations are Denver, CO; San Francisco, CA; Nashville, TN; and Santiago, Chile. Individuals are expected to work from the office 3+ days a week. In-office perks are provided, such as lunch five times a week, a commuter stipend, and an abundance of snacks and beverages. A relocation stipend may be available for those willing to relocate to a Checkr hub location.

Equal Employment Opportunities at Checkr

Checkr is committed to building the best product and company, which requires hiring talented and qualified individuals with a diverse set of perspectives and lived experiences. Checkr believes in hiring people of all backgrounds, including those whose histories are impacted by the justice system in accordance with local, state, and/or federal laws, including the San Francisco’s Fair Chance Ordinance.

For applicants in Massachusetts:

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.